Oakclan: Gingerpaw's Trial
by xXStarburstNinjaXx
Summary: Follow the stories of the 3 different apprentices. First up, Gingerpaw. As a new apprentice the ginger tabby has a lot to learn... OC story.
1. Chapter 1

**Oakclan**

**Book 1: Gingerpaw's Trials**

**Warning: This is an OC story so I own all of the cats…. Yep that's about it.**

A white tom with a gray stripe down his back perched on top of a rock in the middle of the clearing, "All cats old enough to catch their own prey gather beneath High Rock for a Clan meeting."

He had barely shouted, but from all corners of the clearing came cats of different colors and sizes. A brown tabby pushed through the crowd followed by a light ginger kit, who both sat at the bottom of the High Rock.

"What's going on?" Runepaw, a gray cat with white markings, whispered, "Why did Hawkstar call a meeting?"

"Hush," Foxtail hissed at her apprentice, "The Ceremony is about to start!"

Runepaw snapped her mouth shut and sat next to the fox pelt warrior. Hawkstar bounded down the High Rock and sat next to the small ginger tabby, "Today, we welcome Gingerpaw, Rosetail's daughter, as an apprentice to Oakclan."

A murmur of approval drifted through the group of cats as Rosetail, the brown tabby lifted her head with pride, while Gingerpaw ducked her head shyly. Hawkstar gently prodded her forward.

"Stormpelt," He flicked his tail in the direction of the other gray and white tom, "A few moons ago, both you and Foxtail were made warriors. Now it is time for you to take Gingerpaw as your apprentice."

Another murmur ripped through the crowd, this one of excitement as Stormpelt stepped forward to accept his apprentice. The two touched noses and then the mentor led Gingerpaw away.

Foxtail nudged Runepaw, "You should go welcome your new roommate."

"Right!" She bounded away. Situated to the left of the High Rock and pushed under a bush was a thick, sturdy log that the apprentices used as their den. Standing at the entrance were two young toms, one with long golden fur and the other, white with ginger spots, "Hey Lionpaw, hey Sunpaw! Did you see the Ceremony?"

Sunpaw lashed his tail back and forth, "No, we were on a hunting trip with Adderbite," He sighed and added, "We didn't even catch anything!"

"So who's the new apprentice?" Lionpaw asked, curious.

At that time, Gingerpaw walked forward, "H-Hi,"

"Gingerpaw!" Runepaw chirped and touched noses with her, "Congratulations!"

"Hello Gingerpaw," Lionpaw greeted politely, "So you're the new apprentice huh?"

"Looks kinda scrawny to me," Sunpaw muttered.

Gingerpaw ducked her hair as Runepaw playfully hit her friend on the head, "Be nice!" She scolded, "It's not like you were any better," She turned to Gingerpaw, "Come on, I'll help you gather moss for your nest."

The two cats set off, heading for the entrance. Sunpaw licked the fur on his shoulder, "I was not that small when I was made an apprentice," He said finally.

"Sure you weren't," Lionpaw chuckled, amused.

**/\_/\**

A little while later, Gingerpaw and Runepaw trotted through the camp, carrying mouthfuls of moss towards the den. The older cat showed her new friend how to arrange the moss into a nest next to her own.

Finally, Gingerpaw sat down with a sigh," I like it in here, it's very quiet. In the nursery the kits can be so loud!"

Runepaw wrinkled her nose, "Don't get too comfortable; pretty soon Lionpaw will come in smelling like fox dung. Toms, I swear, they don't know proper hygiene."

"I heard that!" Came a yowl from outside.

The gray cat prodded Gingerpaw, "Let's go get something to eat; I heard that Brightpelt and Quickstep brought back a lot of food today!"

The two headed for the fresh kill pile in the clearing. Foxtail was waiting for them there, "Good afternoon," She greeted them, "Have you been helping Gingerpaw settle in, Runepaw?"

"Yep! Can we train together tomorrow?" She asked excitedly.

Her mentor laughed softly, "I think Stormpelt is going to show Gingerpaw the borderlines tomorrow."

Runepaw sighed and lowered her head, "Aw…"

"Maybe we can train the next day," Gingerpaw suggested.

Her friend nodded her head in agreement, "Okay!"

Runepaw picked up a vole for the two to share and they headed back to the den. Sunpaw was stretched out before the den, purring contently to himself. His nose twitched as they approached, "Bring any vole for me?"

"Get you own, you lazy bum," Runepaw teased, setting the meal down as Gingerpaw came up behind her.

Sunpaw groaned as they dug in and lazily rolled over, "But the fresh kill pile is so far away…. And I don't want to get up," He moaned.

Runepaw swallowed the last morsel and leapt on him, "May Starclan help us if you become a Warrior!" She yowled in his ear.

Sunpaw playfully kicked at her with his hind legs, "I'll have you know, I'm going to be the best warrior there ever was!"

"See what I have to put up with?" Lionpaw sighed, plopping down next to Gingerpaw.

She curled her tail around her paws and eyed the duo rolling around on the ground, "It must be… interesting."

"Yep," He agreed," But it's especially fun to join in!" The cat leapt in to the fray.

"Ouch! Lionpaw sheath your claws, that hurts!"

"Oh, quit being such a baby, act like a tom!"

"A tom!? I'll show you **both **tom!"

_**"Yeow!"**_

Gingerpaw purred in amusement as her new friends play fought. She wanted so badly to join in, but she knew that she wouldn't stand a chance against them, with their moons of training. But one day… her fur tingled with anticipation. One day, she would become a warrior and be just as strong as them!

From a distance Stormpelt watched the young tabby interact with her new roommates and smiled to himself.


	2. Chapter 2

**Oakclan Book 1: Gingerpaw's Trials**

**Chapter 2**

**So… I had to go and edit chapter 1. It's not Stormpelt, it's SMOKEpelt. XD This is what I get for not reading my work at least three times…**

**Thanks for all the reviews I've gotten so far! :)**

"Now, who can tell me what's the difference between hunting a rabbit and a mouse?" Foxtail stared expectedly at the two apprentices.

"Um, isn't it a rabbit can hear you, but a mouse can feel you?" Runepaw offered.

"Very good," Stormchaser nodded her head in approval, "Now Lionpaw… Lionpaw!" She snapped at her apprentice.

The young cat shook his head, having zoned out again, "Yes Stormchaser?"

His mentor growled, "For the love of Starclan, pay attention! Now show us the proper way to stalk a mouse."

"Okay," Lionpaw crept across the clearing that the warriors used to train their apprentices, "How's this?"

"Very good, if you were stalking a Twolegged! Do it again."

This time Lionpaw was careful, performing the technique perfectly.

"Wonderful," Foxtail purred, "Your turn Runepaw."

The cat was just about to crouch when Hawkstar appeared, "Stormchaser, can you lead a patrol along the west border? And Foxtail, the Clan needs more food."

Foxtail nodded, "Alright then, I think this would be a perfect time to test Runepaw's abilities," She turned to her apprentice, "Are you ready?"

"You bet!" she chirped, bounding away. Foxtail chuckled and followed her.

Stormchaser turned to Lionpaw, "I suppose this ends training today."

"Why don't you go and see if the Elders need anything?" Hawkstar suggested.

The young cat's tail drooped, disappointed in not getting to go with Stormchaser, but he obediently scurried into the brush. Once he had disappeared into the foliage, Hawkstar spoke, sitting next to his Deputy, "So how is he doing?"

"He's still absent minded," Stormchaser scoffed, but then her eyes softened, "He does have potential though."

"That's good. Perhaps he can become a warrior in a few moons."

"Perhaps," The long-haired calico purred. She rubbed her head against his shoulder, "So, are you coming with me on patrol?"

Hawkstar shook his head, "I'll be going with Smokepelt to show Gingerpaw the territory. This will be his first apprentice and he's a bit nervous," The tom stood up and led the way back to camp.

Stormchaser followed him, playfully nipping at his tail, "What a good older brother you are, Hawkstar!"

He whirled around and hit her lightly on the nose with a sheathed paw, "Stop that!"

The Deputy brushed past him, bumping his shoulder, "What will Oakclan do with a leader who can't even protect his own tail?" She teased.

Hawkstar growled and leapt on his friend's back. The young Deputy let out a shriek as the two tumbled through the brambles into the camp's clearing, "How's that for Clan leader?" Hawkstar asked pinning the young calico down.

_"Ahem," _The two looked up to see Softfur, the eldest queen, sitting outside the nursery, "It's nice to see that you haven't lost your playfulness as a kit," She chuckled.

The leader quickly scrambled away from his Deputy, tail flicking nervously, "We were just… training."

"Do you not think I don't know my own kit, Hawkstar?" The queen purred walking away.

Stormchaser cleared her throat, "I'll go… get some warriors for the patrol," She headed for the warriors den.

As she came in, Smokepelt came out and walked towards Hawkstar, "I think it's time to wake up Gingerpaw… Is something wrong?" He asked seeing the strange look on the leader's face.

"It's nothing!"

**/\_/\**

Gingerpaw was having the best of dreams. She prowled across the forest floor, the scent of prey in her nose so fresh that she could almost taste it. A rabbit bounded across her path and she pounced at it, but just as she was about to sink her claws into the furry flesh-

"Gingerpaw!"

The young apprentice snapped awake, scrambling to her paws. Standing at the entrance to the den was her mentor, "Smokepelt!" She mewed and glanced around, "Where are the others?"

"They've already left with their mentors," The tom replied, "Now let's go, we're burning daylight."

The warrior led the way across the camp to Hawkstar, "As an apprentice, you're going to have to get up earlier than this," The leader warned her, "Understand?"

Gingerpaw nodded, embarrassed, "Yes, Hawkstar."

"Good," He pushed a mouse that he had been keeping between his paws towards her, "Now eat. We have a long day ahead of us."

**/\_/\**

Sunpaw leapt at his opponent, claws unsheathed, only to be batted away, "Who do you think you're fighting?" Adderbite scoffed, "A kittypet?"

His apprentice growled and circled the one-eyed dark tabby. He charged again and Adderbite easily dodged him. Sunpaw hissed in frustration, before making one last attempt: attacking him from his blind side. To his surprise, Adderbite reared up on his hind legs, causing him to collide with the older cat's soft stomach. Before he could react, Adderbite dug his claws into Sunpaw's shoulders and threw his apprentice several feet. The young apprentice landed on his side with a yelp and his mentor coolly padded over, "You're thinking too much."

"You told me that a good warrior should know how to strategize," Sunpaw snapped rolling to his feet.

"Yes, but they must also know how to use their instincts, think quickly," Adderbite replied before looking at the wounds, "Doesn't look deep, but you should go see Willowsweep just in case. And once you're done with that you can help restock the fresh kill pile. Training's over for the day."

"You call that training?" Sunpaw muttered, "'Cause it seemed to me that you just wanted to beat me up."

The warrior's tail twitched, "Would you like to continue?"

"N-No thanks!" Sunpaw said hastily, scurrying away, "I'll go see Willowsweep right away!"

**/\_/\**

"Stop," Smokepelt paused at the edge of the river causing Gingerpaw to nearly collide with him, "What do you smell?"

The apprentice sniffed the air. Over the damp smell of the river, she could detect other cats, but they were unfamiliar to her, "Is it another clan?" She guessed.

"Very good," Hawkstar praised, "Birchclan's territory is on the other side of the river," He walked along the bank, "Come on, I'll show you the bridge."

"What's a bridge?" Gingerpaw asked, following her leader, her mentor padding beside her.

"It's what we use to cross the river," Smokepelt explained, "It makes traveling to the Standing Rocks much easier."

Gingerpaw tilted her head, "Is that where the Gatherings are?"

Yes," Hawkstar called back to them, "Now keep up."

Once the two caught up, the cats bounded away, following the river. After a while the group came around a bend and Gingerpaw got her first view of a bridge. Before her laid the river, churning and gurgling, but rising above it, arched like the back of an angry cat, was a strange brown rock that stretched to both sides of the river. Extending from each side of the structure was a path and on the other side of the path was a field. When the cats cautiously approached, Gingerpaw saw that the bridge wasn't actually rock, but wooden.

"How is that possible?" Gingerpaw asked, staring at the structure with awe.

"Twolegs made it," Hawkstar replied. And then he chuckled, "Most of them don't like getting their fur wet, or at least what they have of it."

Suddenly Smokepelt, who was upwind of them stiffened and hissed, "Get down!"

Immediately, Gingerpaw crouched, Hawkstar beside her. The leader's fur bristled and a low growl came from his throat as Smokepelt slinked to Gingerpaw's side, "It's a Twoleg and its dog," He whispered in her ear, "Keep low and quiet and they should pass without seeing us."

The apprentice nodded just as the creature appeared, further down the path. As the Twoleg and dog past, Gingerpaw found that they were quite ugly (the Twoleg almost had no fur!) and the dog stunk. Once they were gone, Hawkstar crept up onto the raised path and called to his comrades, "It's safe to cross now."

Smokepelt and Gingerpaw followed him across the path and into the field. At once, the young cat felt uneasy in the wide open space, having never been out of the forest before, but the two older cats seemed perfectly fine with it. Hawkstar rolled in the tall grass while Smokepelt sat beside Gingerpaw.

"That Twoleg walks along the path with his dog every day right at this time," He told his apprentice, "There are other Twolegs and dogs that use this path as well. You will soon learn their patterns and know when it is safe to cross."

"Are Twolegs and dogs really that dangerous?" Gingerpaw blinked curiously up at the tom.

Hawkstar stretched before walking back over, "Twolegs are pretty harmless, except for the younger ones. Some of them like to throw rocks or chase us, but they give up after a while. As for dogs, you should never trust them," He told her sternly.

"Okay," Gingerpaw mewed obediently.

Smokepelt nodded his head, satisfied before turning away, "There's one last thing we need to show you."

Gingerpaw followed him, with Hawkstar close behind her, as he led the way across the field. On the other side was another path, this one much bigger than the other and made of a darker color. All of a sudden, the ground beneath her paws began to shake. Gingerpaw hissed and leapt back just as a Monster rolled along the path.

Once the beast was gone, Hawkstar turned to the apprentice, a solemn look in his eyes, "This is the Thunderpath, and you must never cross it without my permission."

**Curious to what the cats look like? Check out this link!** watch?v=8UtWFUXnjg0

**If the link doesn't work look for my username on Youtube, cmbgoncrazy**


End file.
